PHOTOGRAPHIC TOURISM

Andrei Balău, PLANNET II

Abstract
This research aims to study the phenomenon of photographic tourism
and who are the participant people. Today, photography has become the
part & parcel of our day-to-day life. Although photography has emerged
as a popular form of special interest tourism. In presenting this
framework the intention is to contribute towards the development of the
concept of photographic tourism and the photographic tourists in the
settings of special interest tourism.

Keywords: Photography, tourism, tourists, travel.

1. Introduction

Firstly, I will start this artice by telling you the definision of “tourism” and it
means. Tourism is travel for pleasure; also the theory and practice of
touring, the business of attracting, accommodating, and entertaining
tourists, and the business of operating tours. Tourism may be international,
or within the traveller's country. The World Tourism Organization defines
tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception
of tourism as being limited to holiday activity only", as people "traveling to
and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one
consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".
Secondly, let’s see what means the term “photography”. Photography is the
series of actions involving light or electromagnetic radiation to record
images of objects on various surfaces. Photography always requires light to
duplicate the real-life image being taken. Photography enlists the use of a
camera to capture the image needed to produce the recreation of the image
on to photographic film, or with the recent technology, digitaly on a
memory card.
But the photography is more than that. We have to differentiate image from
photography. An image is a simply captured moment, a memory, while a
photography tell a story about immortalized moment, is more an art.
 2. Short history about photography

Photography is one of the leading branches of the arts worldwide. The term
"photo" comes from Greek and literally translated means "painting with
light".This phenomenon of painting with light was observed as early as the
third century BC when Aristotle discovered that if a hole is made in a box,
on the opposite wall it will form a real image but inverted.
Thus the first form of camera was actually a dark room where you could see
reversed image of an object in front of it. In the same period it was learned
that light darkens silver chloride and sodium hiposulfitul can act as a
"fixer".
Nicephore Niepce Joseph used these three procedures to implement an
image on a metal plate and the quality was quite high. Unfortunately
physicist died four years, later but his invention was taken by Jacques
Mande Daguerre, thus establishing official since the invention of
photography in 1839.
In the following period they were made more and more discoveries in the
field of photography, thus creating the first cameras and the first films on
celluloid support. After making the first movie camera and photography
followed developments in these three main areas:
 reducing the duration of exposure and increased sensitivity (ISO)
film: this had the effect first images look clearer and capturing brief
moments.
 The simplifying production method of cameras (immediate decrease
in prices and increase in sales).
 stabilizing chemicals used in photo film development
Desire development of this art is and has been present throughout achieving
changes on the entire system. From the beginning there was desire for
accomplishing color photographs but the first experiments failed to produce
them.
The first color photograph was nevertheless obtained by physicist James
Clerk Maxwell in 1861. The first system for producing color photographs
was created in 1903 and was named Lumiere Autochrome.
It was a system of transparent color photo and manufacturing method
consists of three overlapping metal plates impregnated with various
substances sensitive to red, green and blue (RGB).
The second system is called Kodakchrome and appeared in 1935. With the
the help of this system is realized through emulsions trichromatic color
photographs.
10 years later it appeared under the name Polaroid instant photography
techniques, showing black and white photos first and then in 1962, color
photographs.
These systems that were based on the classic movie began to be quite
difficult to use, especially photos are ongoing in operating theaters or in
places where it was impossible to film development photos.
Thus, in 1990 the famous Kodak Company launches first digital SLR (D-
SLR) (Kodak / Nikon DCS100) commercially available. This invention was
revolutionary and opened new horizons giving vent to all producers of
cameras.
After 30 years from the first digital camera, this technology reached high
standards and continue to develop.

3. Everybody has a camera

Today is imposible to ask someone if he has a camera, and that person

answer you “No, I don’t have!”. You wanna know why? Because we live in
a digital era and everyone has a phone, and gues what, every phone has a
camera.
Recently, I have not heard any phone company to produce a phone without
a camera, because people are looking for a phone who is armed with a
camera, and of course, they are looking for a good one.
From a VGA camera in 2001, the phone industry has evolved so much in
just a decade and a half, so today we can find phones with 16 megapixels
camera, or even 23 MP on Sony Experia Z5. And even the price is
accessible, every one will spend a couple hundreds for having a mini
computer in his pocket.
Now, let’s talk about professional cameras. Photo cameras are very easy to
find today, in every electonics shop, at accessible prices, for example: for a
Nikon Coolpix you will spend less than 100 Euros, and this one has 16.1
MP, or for a better one the price starts from 150 Euros. Of course, there are
more powerfull camera for buying, like mirrorless. For a price starting from
250 Euros, these cameras are perfect for amateur photographers, who want
to have every time a camera with them.
For professional photographers or people who intend to become one was
developed a Digital Single-Lens Reflex (D-SLR) camera which is the best
camera on the market. With a crop or full frame sensor, controlling the
exposure time or aperture, having the ability to change the lens with a
different focal length, these cameras have a lot of instruments to play with,
in this case making them very creative.
Even the prices for an entry-level D-SLR camera are accessible, for 300 or
400 Euros, but the price can rich to 5-8 times for cameras with full frame
sensore. But for photographers is not enough, so they have to buy different
equipment for camera (Different lens, filters, tripod, etc.) which are not very
cheapen.
Even the price is high or low, cameras doesn’t cost a fortune, so people are
buying photo cameras to immortalized every memory in they’re life. They
buy they’re own memories factory.
 4. Photography and tourism

To be a tourist involves taking photographs. We can identify photography

as a constituent element of the tourism industry as it works and plays with
the signs and images of visual culture that is everyday life in order to
project parts of the world onto other parts of the world.
The technological revolution of photography creating a different king of
tourists, and they are ready to spend a lot on equipment and traveling just
for heaving extraordinary photography experiences and photographs. And
usually, these people are looking for unique subjects.
After all, this uniqueness is the difference between simple photographers,
who usually are taking photos in their living area, and traveler
photographers who are looking after subjects and elements which are can’t
be found their living area.
It is necessary to make a distinction between those types of tourism where
the act of photography plays a supportive or ancillary role, and those types
of tourism where the whole purpose of the trip is geared around the need to
take photographs.
So, what is “Photographic Tourism”? From my point of view, is that kind of
tourism which tourists people are traveling with the main purpose to take
photos.
This is interesting as photographic holidays have evolved out of the
pastime, or hobby, of taking photographs.
While such elements are common to nearly all photographic holidays there
are various types of photographic holidays. For example, the photographic
safari and guided photo-shoots of landscapes, flora, attractions and people.
Some tours are unique in that they combine photographic opportunities at
selected destinations with technical tuition and photographic workshops
covering subjects as diverse as photographic analysis and historical and
anthropological issues.
While acknowledging the fact that photography is an element of most
holidays, companies specializing in photographic tours differentiate
themselves by emphasizing the specific features of the trip, such as the
opportunity to engage in the act of photography; the photographic subjects;
personal tuition or workshops; and the provision of services unique to the
holiday such as the inclusion of professional nature photographers as team
leaders or as ‘resident experts’ accompanying the tour.
Although the sharing of expertise and tuition from professionals is a key
aspect of many tours it does mean that relatively small numbers of people
can be accommodated at any one time. This has the effect of pushing up the
cost of this niche tourism type of holiday, which reinforces the exclusivity
label often associated with niche products.
 5. Conclusions

It is clear that people want to provide unique photographic opportunities and

this is a key aspect of photographic tours, and people need to be more
motivated for participating in this type of holiday.
The seeming obsession of some tourists with having to photograph
everything they encounter creates a cycle of consumption driven by the
logic that the more photographs we take the more we need in order to
satisfy our greed, our hunger for consumption.
Booking a photographic holiday certainly enables the individual to lay
claim to a degree of social status and prestige based upon the high cost of
the trip, the limited number of participants and the skills associated with
capturing the perfect image.